The Blind Prodigy - A Naruto Fan Fiction
by Hisoka Okumura
Summary: What if Naruto was blinded at a young age? Will being 'brothers' with Kakashi, best friends with a demon, knowing his family origins, secret ANBU and as smart as a Nara change Naruto's life?
1. Ch1- Ninja in the Dark

(A/N) Welcome to The Blind Prodigy, you may have seen this fanfic on Wattpad, don't worry it's not stolen, I'm the same author, anyway, onto the story...

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"Naruto!"-speech

' _Naruto!_ '-thought

' **Naruto!** '-bijuu talking

'Naruto!'-talking to bijuu

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Ninja in the dark**

In the distance a small blond-haired boy wearing an orange jumpsuit could be seen speeding across the rooftops of Konohagakure, known as the village hidden in the leaves, his azure blue eyes stayed emotionless even as his pursuers started to gain the advantage as he approached a dead end. The young boy suddenly sped off in the opposite direction, towards the academy, the ninja following him decided to cease their chase, afraid of their punishment of attacking the blonde in public, and should the Hokage know of their actions their fate would be worse than death.

As soon as the boy landed in front of the academy, the bell rang to signal the start of class, as he walked towards the entrance he sighed knowing he would be late for his genin exam and after failing his exam the previous 2 times, today would be his last chance to become a ninja without having to study for another year.

Upon reaching the classroom door the orange-clad ninja plastered a huge cheeky grin on his face but although he was smiling, his eyes stayed the same emotionless blue as before. After hearing his name called for the final time he pushed the door open coming face to face with an angry chunin, he had the basic shinobi uniform, a camo green flak vest, and his long brown hair was tied into a tight ponytail,

"Naruto, you're late again!" the chunin exclaimed pointing an accusing finger at the newly dubbed Naruto, but he didn't care as he continued to grin and scratch the back of his head as he turned to face the elder shinobi,

"Did you say something Iruka-sensei? Oh yeah sorry for being late but a black cat crossed my path so I had to go the long way round," he said sheepishly still grinning at Iruka. The students started to giggle but Iruka was as stern as ever,

"Just go sit down, you're lucky we haven't started the written exam yet," sounding exasperated, Iruka started to rub the bridge of his nose which was obscured by a rather large scar. Naruto slowly trudged towards his seat at the back row, his grin was replaced by a small smile and he could hear some of the whispers of his classmates,

"Look it's the boy my mum says to stay away from,"

"He's the worst in the class, an idiot shouldn't become a ninja, I bet he would die on his first mission,"

As Naruto arrived at his seat, he passed Shikamaru Nara, one of his few friends and someone who knew his secrets, he gave him a questioning look, as if asking "Are you okay?", which Naruto gave a small nod in reply. Deciding to sleep through the introduction of the exam, Naruto lay his face on the desk, hidden by his arms and closed his eyes, the inky blackness still scared him because whether he is sleeping or not, it's all he can see.

For 7 years it's been the same darkness every day, every time he opens his eyes he's greeted by shadows, he can only escape such a fate through meditation as he can enter his mindscape where he can see, just as he was able to many years ago. His name is Naruto Uzumaki, the 3rd jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi no kitsune, son of the legendary 4th Hokage, a hidden prodigy... and he is secretly blind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Naruto P.O.V*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Sasuke Uchiha," his name rang through my ears as Iruka called him for the final test to become a genin, the first was a written test, I had learned to read and write a few months after becoming blind, my best friend, Kurama, is one of a few who knew my secrets taught me. I read by feeling the slight grain difference in the paper before and after written on and I can hear the strokes of the chalk as Iruka-sensei writes, so I know what it says on the board, luckily enough my increased senses make up for my lack of sight.

The second test was kunai and shuriken throwing, in order to pass you needed 4/8 kunai and 5/10 shuriken, even though I could ace the test, the idiot of the class shouldn't have the highest graduating score and others would accuse me of cheating. So I made it seem as if I could barely scrape through with scores of 4/8 and 6/10. And the last test was ninjutsu, you have to perform the 3 ninjutsu you are taught in the academy which includes the substitution jutsu, transformation jutsu and the clone jutsu, once again these are 3 easy E-rank jutsus, compared to a B-rank like the shadow clone jutsu.

I was brought out of my thoughts be Shikamaru, who had just left the exam room and stood in front of me,

"You graduated, huh, never thought you would," I said with a small cheeky smirk,

"Of course, my mum would be on my case if I hadn't" he lazily responded and added "Troublesome woman," under his breath,

"Anyway, are you finally going to show yourself after graduation, and you know you'll have to tell your teammates and sensei about your 'condition' as it could endanger their lives as well, not just yours," he said with an unmistakenly serious tone.

"I know, I know I just hope I get you-know-who as my jonin sensei," Not long after Sasuke had left the exam room as a genin of Konoha, it was my turn next. "Naruto Uzumaki," As my name was called I quickly passed Sasuke who I knew was smirking at me and entered the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End of Naruto P.O.V *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Naruto slowly entered the room inspecting his surroundings, he could feel 2 chakra signatures on his right ' _Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei_ ' he slowly walked to the centre of the room, looking towards the 2 academy instructors,

"Naruto, please perform the transformation jutsu," Iruka addressed Naruto and with a small "Poof," an exact replica of his father, Minato Namikaze, also known as the Fourth Hokage and the Yellow Flash appeared. Naruto is one of very few who know the identity of his parents that small list includes the Third Hokage- Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi Hatake, Naruto and the nine tailed demon fox, said fox was currently sealed inside of Naruto after he rampaged 12 years ago. 'Did I do it right Kurama' Naruto nervously asked the demon fox ' **It's perfect kit, looks just like him** ' Kurama answered with a deep booming voice, sounding slightly proud of his kit's skills.

Naruto had met the fox or Kurama at the mere age of 3 and a day or two later when his caretakers found out that he had talked to the demon they kicked him out of the orphanage but not before beating and insulting him for hours on end. He spent the next four years of his life on the streets until at the age of 7 he finally asked the Hokage for an apartment of his own, and even though the Hokage was oblivious to Naruto's situation he was more than happy to give the boy a place to live as well as a monthly allowance. Anyway, that was in the past, back to the exam, once he was brought out of his momentary shock Iruka continued,

"P-Please use the substitution jutsu," he stuttered still amazed at Naruto's ability to create a perfect copy of a person he has never met as well as his use of hand seals or lack thereof.

Suddenly Iruka, Mizuki, and their desk disappeared and reappeared in the centre of the room and Naruto could be seen standing on the opposite side of the room. Once again Iruka was stunned at Naruto's amazing display of skill ' _He's so different from the brat who would play pranks and misbehave, what happened?_ ' was what went through Iruka's head. Realizing he was lost in his own thoughts he snapped back to reality, he was about to continue the exam, but before he could say another word 10 perfect replicas of Naruto appeared, both Iruka and Mizuki were speechless but not because Naruto had jumped the gun but because he had used no hand seals, ' _Even I can't use the clone jutsu without hand seals_!' was the thought that ran through both chunins heads.

"Congrats Naruto you pass!" praised Iruka as he handed Naruto a Konoha hitai-ate, he gave a blinding grin and promptly tied it loosely around his neck. Upon leaving he could hear Sasuke snort and a few of the other graduates started whispering

"I can't believe he passed,"

"I know, I bet he bribed the teachers, he can barely write and his shuriken and kunai throwing isn't much better" He just kept walking until he arrived outside the academy and approached the rope swing that hung from the tree by the entrance. He sat down and closed his eyes, on the outside he seemed to be resting but in reality, he was talking to one of his closest friends.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Naruto's Mindscape*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Some may say their mind is a gutter, metaphorically of course, but Naruto's is quite literally a gutter, he slowly trudged through the ankle deep sewer water, pipes covered the walls and dim lights could be seen hanging from the ceiling. He continued to walk until he stood before a giant gate the size of the Hokage monument, at the centre of the gate a piece of paper could be seen with the kanji for 'Seal' and peering from the other side of the bars were large blood-red slitted eyes.

' **Congrats brat never thought I would see the day you graduate,** ' a large grin appeared, and although the Kyuubi's words sounded full of malice, Naruto could only hear how proud the Kyuubi was. A silent tear slide down his cheek as the Kyuubi continued to praise him,

' **You look like your father, act like your mother but still have a higher IQ than the two combined. You could even give the Naras a run for their money-** ' the fox suddenly stopped and took a long look at Naruto before turning away and saying,

' **Come here you crybaby** ' Naruto approached the cage and walked straight through the bars keeping the Kyuubi away, and as he started to sob, one of Kyuubi's large tails wrapped itself around Naruto and pulled him closer to the Kyuubi. A few minutes later the Jinchuriki and his prisoner drifted off to sleep, returning Naruto to reality.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Outside his mindscape*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, Naruto" a voice from behind called, Naruto turned and stared directly at the incoming chakra signature, he recognised it as Mizuki, he could practically feel the hate radiating from the man but he gave a cheeky smile nonetheless.

"Because you had the lowest graduating score we have to give you an extra test to make sure you're worthy to become a shinobi..."

'Hokage-Jiji needs better security because if a blind genin-to-be can steal the oh-so-important scroll of sealing, I'm sure enemy ninja would have no problems' Naruto thought as he rushed across the village rooftops towards the forest that Mizuki had told him about, a large scroll tied to his back. He swiftly jumped into the centre of the clearing, unrolling the scroll in front of him as he thought back to what Mizuki had told him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Why didn't Iruka-sensei tell me about this test?" Naruto asked, cutting off Mizuki mid-sentence,

"It was my job to observe you and issue the test if I deemed it necessary," Naruto looked at Mizuki with an excited expression on his face,

"So what do I have to do?"

"All you have to do is..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Flashback End*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"...learn a jutsu from the scroll of sealing," Naruto finished out loud, he swiftly set to work and started 'reading' the first jutsu, he knew that Mizuki was lying but he had to figure out if he wanted the scroll or the nine tails. After realising he already knew the jutsu he continued 'reading' until he found one that he recognised all too well, the last technique in the scroll, the Death Reaper Seal... Naruto just sat there, emotionlessly staring at the technique that not only caused his father's death but the bonding of two unknown best friends as well as the torture he received from the village.

He suddenly heard Kurama's voice ' **It's okay kit, let it out** ' at that tears slowly rolled down his cheeks, as his body began to shake and quiet sobs were heard throughout the forest.

Not long after Naruto had finished his mini breakdown Iruka jumped out of a surrounding bush,

"NARUTO! there you are!" Naruto subconsciously plastered a huge foxy grin on his face,

"You found me! I only had time to learn one technique!" Iruka stood there amazed yet slightly confused ' _He was training this entire time, no wonder he looks exhausted but why?_ ' is what ran through his head before being brought out of his thoughts by childish laughter,

"Heh, heh, well I'm gonna show you this really cool technique and you're gonna let me become a real ninja... I wonder if I have to wait for Mizuki-sensei, he did give me the test after all-"

After hearing Mizuki's name Iruka immediately asked the question in his mind,

"What do you mean 'let you become a real ninja' and what does Mizuki have to..." he stopped mid-sentence, the answer was clear, Naruto had been set up by Mizuki so he could claim the scroll for himself.

"Well, well, well Iruka, it seems you figured it out" a voice called from behind, both Naruto and Iruka turned to face Mizuki standing on a branch above them, a sudden volley of kunai flew towards Naruto and Iruka. Pushing Naruto out of the way Iruka took the front of the attack, pinning to an old hut nearby. The silver-haired chunin tore his gaze from Iruka's battered body to stare at Naruto,

"Naruto, hand me the scroll,"

"Wait...what's going on here?" he responded taking glances from Iruka and Mizuki. In the meantime, Iruka had been slowly removing the kunai,

"Whatever you do don't let Mizuki have the scroll Naruto," he paused, breathing heavily,

"It's full of dangerous and forbidden techniques, Mizuki used you to get a hold of it," at this Naruto glared at the aforementioned shinobi.

"Naruto, Iruka's just afraid of you possessing it, he's lying to you,"

"what?" was his only response,

"Mizuki, what are you saying!?" Iruka snarled, he then turned towards Naruto,

"Don't believe him Naruto!" Mizuki only laughed as the scene continued,

"I'll tell you the truth,"

"No, don't!" Iruka's cries could be heard but Mizuki continued nonetheless,

"A decree was created after an incident 12 years ago..." Naruto started to look fearful, already guessing what he was about to be told,

"A decree?"

"It's something that only you, Naruto, cannot be told..."

"Only me? What is it?" Naruto whispered, knowing that his guess was correct,

"Mizuki, stop it!" Iruka started to struggle but his injuries didn't help,

"It's the decree stopping anyone from telling you that you're the demon fox," Naruto's eyes widened, he could only reply with a small,

"What?"

"In other words, the nine-tailed demon fox, the Kyuubi, who destroyed the village and killed Iruka's parents!"

"STOP!" once again Iruka's pleas went unheard,

"You've been lied to by the entire village the all this time, didn't it seem weird that everyone hated you so much?" On the outside, Naruto appeared to be frustrated and angry as well as dejected but he was actually in his mind, crying with one of the very few who cared for him, he could hear Kyuubi's growl echo throughout his mind at Mizuki's next words,

"No one will ever acknowledge you! Even Iruka hates you!" He was suddenly pulled from his mind by a giant incoming shuriken, he then fell to the ground and scurried back attempting to hide behind his arms, after closing his eyes, he finally accepted his fate 'Just when I had graduated.' Out of instinct, Iruka jumped in the way, intercepting the shuriken and taking the blow instead. After realising that he hadn't been hit Naruto naturally opened his eyes making it look as if he was staring 'face to face' with a heavily breathing Iruka.

"W-why?" was Naruto's initial response, Iruka's face looked downcast,

"Because we're the same...after my parents died, no one ever complimented or acknowledged me, I was a bad student so I screwed up a lot in class. I couldn't get anyone's attention when I was a good student, so I acted like an idiot...it was tough..." Iruka took Naruto's shocked expression as a reason to continue,

"Naruto? You were lonely right?" By then Iruka had started crying,

"It was tough, right? I'm sorry Naruto... you didn't have to feel that way if only I was more aware," Evil laughter resounded through the forest, Mizuki spoke, gaining their attention,

"Don't make me laugh! Iruka has hated you since you killed his parents! He only wants to get the scroll back," Naruto turned away, plastering a look of betrayal on his face, he was about to run away when Mizuki called out to him,

"Look at that, the demon's afraid," Naruto was immediately pulled into a flashback.

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Please review and tell me what you think.

Word count: 2896


	2. Ch 2- Flashbacks of the Past

"Naruto!"-speech

 _'Naruto_!'-thought

' **Naruto!** '-bijuu talking

'Naruto!'-talking to bijuu

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{Previously}

"Don't make me laugh! Iruka has hated you since you killed his parents! He only wants to get the scroll back," Naruto turned away, plastering a look of betrayal on his face, he was about to run away when Mizuki called out to him,

"Look at that, the demon's afraid," Naruto was immediately pulled into a flashback.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Flashbacks of the Past**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Flashback *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 7 years ago *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A 4-year-old Naruto was sitting under a tree, the sun was slowly sinking further into the horizon, tomorrow was his 5th birthday and the 2 year anniversary since he began living on the streets. That morning he had asked Kaka-nii if he could stay overnight until the Kyuubi festival was over as Naruto is often targeted by shinobi and villagers alike.

Kakashi or Kaka-nii as Naruto called him had taught him how to use chakra for simple tasks like walking on surfaces as well as telling him stories of his parent's achievements and how much they loved him.

Naruto sighed, and slowly started walking to Kakashi's apartment. He arrived within minutes, he was sat outside knowing Kakashi would either be asleep, at the Hokage's office or reading his perverted novels somewhere in town, his thoughts were when a loud rumble was heard. He blushed, knowing that his stomach was the culprit, he hadn't eaten in days and with little to no money and no one willing to sell you food Naruto was heavily malnourished.

He decided to have a nap on a branch of a nearby tree, using the tree climbing technique Kakashi had shown him, from his perch he could see civilians hanging lanterns and decorations for the Kyuubi festival. It seemed to be all fun and games but Naruto knew that it was a day full of torment to come. The villagers saw today as a day to kick, stab and punch Naruto as well as the occasional jutsu if shinobi get involved.

Another grumble came from his stomach, deciding he had enough he pulled out the small amount of money he had and walked towards the main shopping street, in search for someone willing to feed him.

He approached a new looking stall, hoping that the owners didn't know what he contained, noticing the 5 seats in front of the counter he jumped up to the middle seat. The old man standing behind the counter noticed Naruto, his eyes widening slightly after he realised who he was, but instead of them changing to looks of hate and hostility, his gaze softened to one of sympathy and respect when he inspected the boy's lithe form.

"What can I get for you?" Teuchi, the man running the stall asked, Naruto's gaze shifted to the menu in front of him. He looked up to the man, lifting the menu and pointing at the kanji littering the page, 'Miso ramen' was what he had pointed at.

Within minutes a fresh, steamy bowl of ramen sat in front of Naruto, he stared for a few moments before slowly reaching towards the bowl, attempting to eat with his hands, the hunger controlling his actions. Just as he was about to grab a handful he stopped and remembered to use the chopsticks provided.

He picked them up and started eating, albeit slowly as he wasn't used to eating with chopsticks. When he finished he emptied out his ripped pockets and put down the money, tilting his head as he did so as if asking 'How much?' Naruto had 15 yen spread in front of him, the man grimaced, so little money and it has to last the week.

Feeling pity for the boy, he charged 5 yen rather than the usual 30. As Naruto walked away, a small brown haired girl, Ayame came from the storage room in the back. She was Teuchi's 10-year-old daughter, coming to stand next to her father, she asked,

"That's him, isn't it?" He replied with slight hesitation,

"Yeah, that's him... Naruto Uzumaki"

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The blond slowly approached Kakashi's doorstep, hoping he was there as a chunin was following not far behind. After knocking on the door multiple times and receiving no answer Naruto decided to visit the Hokage or as Naruto calls him Jiji. On the way to the Hokage Tower, Naruto's 'tenant' made himself known,

' **We're being tailed, there's a chunin level ninja at 5 o'clock** ,' a growling voice said.

'...' Naruto gave no response, even though they met about 2 years ago they didn't talk much, only the Kyuubi's warnings and constant nagging reminded him of the other's presence.

Resuming his journey, Naruto noticed a slight rustle come from the nearby bushes on his right. When it suddenly stopped he continued walking, albeit cautiously, towards the tower. His pursuer seemed to decide that now was the prime opportunity to strike, and true to the Kyuubi's word a chunin level shinobi sped towards him.

Out of instinct, Naruto ran towards a small cave he had found yesterday morning. He swiftly arrived at the entrance only for a hand to grab his shirt's collar from behind, turning his head slightly he saw a tall, grey-haired man, probably near the end of his teens, wearing Konoha's chunin uniform, glaring down at him. KI (killer intent) was sent to him and although he wasn't fully affected he still began to shake. This only made the man smirk,

"Look at that the demon's afraid" he sneered and even though Naruto knew he wasn't a demon, but the container, it still hurt to be insulted and glared at. Using his left hand the ninja took a kunai from his weapons pouch and pointed it at Naruto,

"Now, how should I break you, destroy your voice, destroy your hearing or...hmm, I know I'll destroy your sight, stopping you from becoming a ninja. Honestly, you should thank me, I'm saving you from the evil in the world,"

Naruto started to panic after the mention of ruining his career as a ninja because his dream of surpassing the previous Hokage, especially his father, relies on the fact that he can become a ninja in the first place. As the kunai was plunged into his chest, Naruto screamed, his pleads for help echoing throughout the forest. Naruto struggled as the ninja removed his orange jacket as well as the black T-shirt underneath, he started to carve names such as 'demon' 'monster' and 'murderer' into his back.

On the back of the chunin's uniform, a name could be seen 'Mizuki'. Meanwhile, the Kyuubi had seen all the torture Naruto had experienced. Normally Kurama would have started to heal Naruto if not for the boys pleads for him to keep the chakra in order to save his eyes. He may not show it but he cares deeply for the boy, almost as if he was his own kit.

Feeling an intense amount of excitement radiating from the silver-haired nin, Kyuubi clamped his huge claws over his ears, trying to block out the incoming shrieks of pain from his Kit.

The newly named Mizuki started to feel excited as he was about to end Naruto's career as a shinobi before it began. As slowly as humanly possible he dragged the kunai across Naruto's eyes, making him shout, scream and beg as much as he could until he lost his voice. Mizuki quickly found himself bored and decided to run away, grinning to himself. Once the chunin was out of sight Kurama started to release as much chakra as possible without harming him further.

The wounds littering Naruto's torso slowly began to heal but instead of disappearing they became scars, and with the fox's attention on saving his eyes they would become a permanent reminder. The evil yet calming chakra of the Kyuubi receded back into the depths of his mind, Naruto opened his damaged eyes expecting to see the blue sky and surrounding forest but he only saw pitch black.

'Kyuubi, why can't I see?' he whispered fearfully to the demon,

' **I'm sorry kit, the kunai was poisoned and your body can't handle any more of my chakra, you would die if I tried.** ' For once the beast felt an emotion other than wrath and hatred,

'It's okay, you tried,' and with that thought in mind, Naruto shakily stood, closing his useless eyes. He couldn't stop the tears from falling as he stumbled towards the cave. After tripping a few times he gave up trying and sat down next to a nearby tree. Feeling sorry for the now blind 5-year-old Kurama brought Naruto into his mindscape.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Naruto's mindscape *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

' **Open your eyes kit** ,' the gruff voice called out,

'Why? I can't see there's no point' a meek voice called out,

' **Because I said so** ,' the Kyuubi said gleefully, a smirk adorning his feral features,

 _'He thinks this is funny!'_ Naruto thought as his tears increased, the only person he was condemned to be with forever found his suffering amusing. He slowly opened his eyes, deciding to humour the Kyuubi. What he saw was beyond amazing. But that was just it, he could see. He looked up, locking eyes with his prisoner, he barely stuttered,

'How?'

Kurama's smirk slowly faded, ' **When you wake up you won't be able to see, but as long as you're in here you can** ,' Naruto's frown returned.

'Oh...'

' **The villagers and the council will take advantage of your blindness, they could end your ninja career before it had a chance to begin** ,' he glanced at the boy, his eyes closed, hand under his chin and brows furrowed,

'Maybe a genjutsu? Kaka-nii has been teaching me chakra control,'

' **Heh, good idea brat...** ' he paused and a small 'I'm not a brat!' was heard before he continued,

' **Do you want me to hide the other scars as well?** '

'If Hokage-Jiji, Kaka-nii or someone close to me was to look then hide them, but other than that I don't care,'

' **You're hiding them from the scarecrow?** (1),' Kurama asked,

'I'll tell him when the time is right,' he responded, there was a brief silence,

'Hey, Kyuubi?'

' **Yes kit** '

'What's your name?' That one question was the start of their friendship,

' **Kurama, it's Kurama** '

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Outside his mindscape ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A tall, lean figure rapidly approached a sleeping Naruto, stepping into the light he was revealed to be none other than Kakashi himself. As he spotted the small blonde his 'mother' senses kicked in and he was kneeling next to his 'brother' in no time.

Reaching out a gloved hand to touch the boy, he was surprised to see a tanned hand on his, looking up he stared into Naruto's, now opened, sapphire blue eyes. Instantly recognising Kakashi's welcoming chakra tears started to gather at the corner of his useless eyes.

The genjutsu for both his eyes and scars was active but he was still covered in his own blood, knowing Naruto needed comfort, Kakashi swiftly enveloped him into a hug, whispering words of comfort to the young boy he saw as a younger brother.

Once they returned to Kakashi's small apartment Naruto went instantly to bed, almost collapsing from exhaustion, leaving Kakashi to clean and change him. Before Kakashi stripped Naruto in order to bathe him Kurama decided Kakashi should see at least half of the truth and released the genjutsu hiding the scars on Naruto's back.

Kakashi had been expecting to see some wounds from the obvious torture the boy had endured but he hadn't expected to see words carved into the young child's skin. After that day Kakashi had vowed to protect Naruto with his life and teach him how to defend himself.

Even though he was still on the streets Naruto trained with Kakashi non-stop for the next year, he mastered 3 types of taijutsu, Demonic Rush (his mother's style), Wolf Fang Rising Fist (Kakashi and his father's style) and of course the basic academy style, taught to anyone who has ever entered the academy. Using special chakra paper Naruto now knows of his 3 affinities wind, water and lightning, although he can use all 3 to some degree he mainly uses wind style.

When he turned 6 Kakashi decided to tell the Hokage about Naruto's skills and to say he was impressed was an understatement, he was then tested and given the rank of ANBU, his codename was Fox, ranked SS in the bingo book with flee-on-sight, his nickname: The blue-eyed fox. At 7 he was given an apartment by the (still) oblivious Hokage and at the age of 8 he retired as ANBU and joined the academy, bringing us to present day.

* * *

(1)- Kakashi means Scarecrow

Word count- 2111

Next Chapter will be at present day.


	3. Ch 3- The Graduation Gift

"Naruto!"-speech

' _Naruto_!'-thought

' **Naruto**!'-bijuu talking

'Naruto!'-talking to bijuu

* * *

{Previously: Before Flashback-Chapter 1}

"Don't make me laugh! Iruka has hated you since you killed his parents! He only wants to get the scroll back," Naruto turned away, plastering a look of betrayal on his face, he was about to run away when Mizuki called out to him,

"Look at that, the demon's afraid," Naruto was immediately pulled into a flashback.

{Previously: End of Blind Flashback-Chapter 2}

When he turned 6 Kakashi decided to tell the Hokage about Naruto's skills and to say he was impressed was an understatement, he was then tested and given the rank of ANBU, his codename was Fox, ranked SS in the bingo book with flee-on-sight, his nickname: The blue-eyed fox. At 7 he was given an apartment by the (still) oblivious Hokage and at the age of 8 he retired as ANBU and joined the academy, bringing us to present day.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Graduation Gift**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Naruto P.O.V *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As the flashbacks ran through my head, the memory of my 5th birthday stood out as clear as day. From what I could gather, Mizuki was tall for his age, which I guessed to be late 20's to early 30's, and add his voice to the mix... it was so obvious, I mentally slapped myself for being so obtuse. A sudden feeling of rage overwhelmed me, it was his fault, Mizuki was the reason behind my suffering... but I couldn't blame him entirely as he helped me find one of my best friends and bond with my 'brother'.

By the time I snapped out of my daydream, Iruka had removed the giant shuriken from his back and Mizuki was standing a few metres in front of us. With a sudden burst of chakra, Mizuki sprinted forwards, intent on killing both Iruka and me, if his shouts were anything to go by.

"Die Iruka!" Deciding to defend one of the few who accepted me, I jumped head-first into the fray.

As Mizuki approached, my hands automatically formed the hand signs for the shadow clone jutsu. It was one of the many forbidden S-rank jutsus I had learned from the forbidden scroll of sealing in my spare time, and because of my huge chakra reserves- even without Kurama- I could make thousands, possibly millions of clones.

Multiple replicas of me 'poofed' into existence, instantly surrounding all 3 of us. The silver-haired chunin stopped in his charge to stare in disbelief, taking the opportunity my clones lunged at Mizuki, knocking him unconscious. Iruka, who had been just as shocked as Mizuki, stared at the ninja's battered and bruised body.

"I think I went overboard," Iruka gave a low chuckle in response.

Suddenly Iruka's smile faded as he looked at me with wide eyes. The odd bruises here and there aren't what confused him, it was the long scar that ran along his now dull blue eyes.

"Naruto... what's wrong with your eyes?"

Giving a nervous laugh I asked, "What do you mean, sensei?"

"Don't lie Naruto, tell me... please," he whispered the last part, sounding desperate and although no emotion showed on my face, tears started to stream down my whiskered cheeks, and I started to stutter,

"I'm blind Iruka-sensei, and I have been for 7 years,"

Iruka's somewhat calm demeanour turned to one of pity and sudden rage.

"How?!" he asked with a firm voice,

"It was Mizuki, he attacked me on my 5th birthday... I've been blind ever since." I quietly replied, slightly scared that Iruka would hate me or take advantage of me just as Mizuki had.

Instead of the beating or hateful glare I was suspecting, Iruka had pulled me into a tight embrace. We stood there for awhile as I cried in his arms.

After a few minutes, Iruka pulled back to look at my scarred face,

"I'm sorry Naruto, I should have realised sooner, I should have helped you."

"It's okay Iruka-sensei, I hid it with a strong genjutsu, you couldn't have known." I reached a hand up to Iruka's face and as I touched his cheek I could feel tears fall from his eyes.

A sad smile made its way onto his face, I removed my hands and stepped back. I was about to ask if he wanted to come to my apartment for tea after we took Mizuki to the Hokage, but decided against it as I felt an incoming chakra.

Moving my hands in seals I had memorised years ago, I applied the genjutsu that hid my scarred eyes.

"We have company," And true to my word an ANBU appeared before us. I recognised his chakra, I had seen him when I had my sight, so I knew he had gravity defying hair, slanted to his left.

Before I was blinded he used to watch over me and he was also like a brother to me.

"Kaka-nii," I whispered, not loud enough for Iruka to hear, but I knew the ANBU had as he turned towards me.

A small "Naruto," was the only clarification I needed before wiping my tears and sprinting forward, wrapping my arms around his neck, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug.

I hadn't seen Kaka-nii for months, he had been on a long-term mission for the past half a year and I have missed him since.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End of Naruto P.O.V *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Iruka stood in the background as he saw an overjoyed Naruto with, what he assumed to be, an equally as excited ANBU if the quiet yet noticeable chuckle was anything to go by.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but who are you?" he asked.

He released his grip on the young blond but still held hands,

"My ANBU codename is Inu (dog), I am squad leader of assassination squad 6," he answered,

"I'm here to collect the traitor, Mizuki, as well as the forbidden scroll," he added.

He walked towards the downed Mizuki and swiftly lifted both him and the scroll over his shoulder and shunshined towards the Torture and Interrogation department, better known as T&I, but not before leaving Naruto a message,

"Hokage-sama needs to talk," he whispered and left in an instant, only leaving behind a swirl of leaves.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Timeskip 10 minutes *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Not long after the ANBU had left, Naruto and Iruka visited Ichiraku for a bowl of ramen or six in Naruto's case. After the meal Naruto dashed to the Hokage's office, instantly kneeling as he arrived.

"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?"

The old man looked up from the mountain of paperwork that was currently piled on his desk. Releasing a sigh as he noticed Naruto's bowed head and serious tone.

"Come here Naruto, I have something I want to give you."

The Hokage stood, motioning for the blond boy to follow. Above the office door was four pictures, they were portraits of the previous and current Hokage.

From left to right was the Shodaime (first) Hokage Hashirama Senju, he helped to create Konoha and used Mokuton (wood style), his own creation. Next was his brother, the Nidaime (second) Hokage, Tobirama Senju, master of Suiton (water style).

Their joint student, the Sandaime (third) Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sensei of the three Sannin, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. Years later he became the current Hokage after the death of his successor, the Yondaime (fourth) Hokage, Minato Namikaze. He was the sensei of copy-nin Kakashi Hatake, a student of Jiraiya the toad sage, the hero of the leaf, and most importantly Naruto's father.

The third turned towards the last picture and handed Naruto the portrait.

"Minato knew how to hide things well," the old man paused,

"And true to his legacy as a seal master he left behind a blood seal that only you could unlock." taking the hint Naruto bit his thumb and swiped the corner of the picture.

He has felt a mass of chakra and now he knew why. After the small cloud dispersed Naruto was left holding a scroll and a thick book that seemed to be a photo book if the bundles of pictures inside were anything to go by.

"They are gifts from your parents, I had been told to give them to you when you graduated, and although you were ANBU, I didn't think it was appropriate at such a young age, even with your genius mind."

In one swift action, the boy sealed the book and scroll into a storage seal on his wrist and placed the picture above the door. Tears started to fall from the child's useless eyes, as he bowed his head his golden fringe shadowed his face, and barely managed to whisper,

"Thank you, Jiji." Before glomping the old man. After a minute or two Naruto left using a new and improved version of his father's teleportation jutsu, the Flying Thunder God technique, better known as the Hiraishin no jutsu. But instead of the original yellow flash that would accompany the jutsu, it was now a bright sky blue, another reason why his ANBU moniker was the blue-eyed fox.

* * *

Word count:1499


	4. Ch 4- Kakashi Who?

(A/N): Someone from Wattpad called FoxesAreMyLife helped me to name the title so go check them out if you have Wattpad, anyway onto the story...

* * *

"Naruto!"-speech

' _Naruto_!'-thought

' **Naruto!** '-bijuu talking

'Naruto!'-talking to bijuu

* * *

{Previously}

"Thank you, Jiji." Before glomping the old man. After a minute or two Naruto left using a new and improved version of his father's teleportation jutsu, the Flying Thunder God technique, better known as the Hiraishin no jutsu. But instead of the original yellow flash that would accompany the jutsu, it was now a bright sky blue, another reason why his ANBU moniker was the blue-eyed fox.

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* The day after the exams *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Naruto woke the next morning with tear tracks down his cheeks and a horrendous headache, suddenly the memories from last night returned. A sad smile made its way to his face as he thought of his deceased parents.

Glancing at his alarm clock for the first time that morning, he realised he was 10 minutes late for the team assignments. A booming chortle was heard from seemingly nowhere, as the Kyuubi laughed at Naruto's misfortune, ignoring the obnoxious beast, he continued to raid his closet for the only clothing he has...the orange jumpsuit.

He was in such a rush that he was wrapping his wrists with bandages while running to the academy, he used bandages in order to hide the conveniently placed storage seals, where he keeps things like medical equipment, weapons, and anything of personal value.

As soon as he reached his destination he made sure his 'mask' and genjutsu were in place before walking towards his classroom with, once again, a huge grin on his face. He was so busy making sure he kept up appearances, that he didn't realise he had left his hitai-ate in his kunai pouch, which he, thankfully, had remembered to place on his waist.

Bursting into the classroom, Naruto expected to be screamed at by an aggravated Iruka for being late once again. Luckily, said chunin hadn't arrived yet, so he had a minute or two to spare.

Hearing approaching footsteps from the left, Naruto recognised the chakra as Kiba Inuzuka, an obnoxious 'dog boy' who seemed to always wear a parka coat, even though Konoha is one of the hottest hidden villages.

"Why are you here, only graduates with a hitai-ate can be here." Akamaru, Kiba's (currently small, but is gonna be so unbelievably huge in the future) nin-dog yipped in agreement from atop the Inuzuka's head as usual.

Back on track, after realising that he isn't wearing his hitai-ate, the blond reached back into his kunai pouch and pulled out a slightly battered yet shiny metal plate, attached to a strip of cloth with a few tears that were barely noticeable.

To others, it may just seem like an old headband, but to Naruto, it one of the few pieces of his father he had left. Traditionally, hitai-ate were worn on your forehead but instead, he tied it loosely around his neck.

Most of the newly graduated genin thought he had been given an old and broken hitai-ate, almost as if to symbolise his uselessness and stupidity as the dead-last. Whereas someone like Shikamaru who was both smart and understood Naruto could see how gentle he was when holding said item,

"Look closer dog breathe, I graduated." Was Naruto's 'witty' response,

"Hmph, whatever..." sensing that the conversation was over, Naruto internally sighed, and made his way towards the back rows of the classroom, conveniently next to Sasuke, the 'oh so powerful' Uchiha.

After the last few years of attending the academy, Naruto had come to the conclusion that Sasuke was in dire need of a beating in order to knock some sense into him.

Back to the present, Iruka had just arrived, a clipboard in hand and a small smile on his face as he addressed the class of newly-minted genin. Although their sensei had arrived, the class continued to chat away, as if they hadn't even noticed Iruka.

' **Most probably haven't**.' The sudden voice made naruto internally jump, while on the outside he acted like a complete idiot.

'You're awake, are you feeling alright? Normally you would be asleep till afternoon.' Was the almost instantaneous response the blond gave while chuckling at the growl he received from the fox.

' **Just be lucky that I like you Kit, or I would have eaten you by now, also you might want to pay attention now**.'

'Wha?' Naruto asked before Kurama forced him out of his mindscape and back into the black abyss of reality.

"...and congrats on graduating. Here are your teams, once you have been called, you will wait for your jonin leader." Realising he had missed pretty much all of Iruka's speech and the first six team assignments Naruto started paying attention.

"...Team 7 is Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno..." As part of his 'mask', Naruto jumped out of his seat, cheering about having Sakura, his 'crush' on his team.

"...and Sasuke Uchiha." Although depressed on the outside, once again because of his 'mask', Naruto was actually glad to have Sasuke on his team.

"Team 8 is Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame..."

"...Team 9 is still in commission, leaving Team 10, which is Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi." And with his job finished Iruka left as fast as he possibly could.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Timeskip 3 hours *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After the first hour, Team 7 had been left by themselves as Team 8 had been taken by Kurenai Yuhi and Team 10 by Asuma Sarutobi. Naruto had also figured that his Kaka-nii was their sensei as he was the only jonin in history to be late for everything other than a life or death situation.

Half an hour had passed since the other teams had left, last night suddenly flashed in Naruto's mind as he realised he hadn't read the letter from his parents. So with a small burst of chakra Naruto swiftly unsealed the scroll and began to run his fingers across the surface.

The contents of the letter made tears start to gather at the corner of his blind eyes, but he finally let his tears fall when he read the sentence. 'We love you Naruto, and no matter what, we will always be proud of you, love mum and dad.'

While Naruto was having, in some senses, an emotional breakdown, Sakura was daydreaming about 'her' Sasuke-kun, followed by a childish giggle every few minutes.

Whereas Sasuke had been staring outside the window, in an 'emo' manner, until he noticed Naruto's silent tears and slight shaking.

"Oi, Dobe stop crying like a baby." He had expected the idiot to start arguing and deny the fact that he was crying but when silence was all he received, he was genuinely concerned, not that he would ever admit it.

Looking closer at the blond, Sasuke saw the scroll in his hands and took a quick glance at its contents. All he managed to see was 'Dear Naruto, please forgive us for not being there for you, as parents, we should be there to support you...' before Naruto closed the scroll and used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe his tears.

He suddenly turned to Sasuke with a huge grin on his face, although the tear tracks were less noticeable, you would still be able to see them if you looked close enough.

"What's wrong teme?" Was his casual reply, as if he hadn't just been crying his eyes out,

"Tch, nothing dobe." And with that Naruto re-sealed the scroll and sat in silence for the next hour and a half until he decided to play a trick on his 'brother' for being later than usual. He walked towards the chalkboard at the front of the class and took one of the erasers so he could place it between the closed door and the wall.

Five minutes after Naruto had returned to his seat, he sensed Kakashi's chakra outside the classroom door and immediately lifted his head from the desk. Within seconds the door opened and a silver-haired jonin poked his head through the doorway.

As the falling eraser made contact with the unsuspecting jonin's head, a small cloud of chalk gathered, not even staining the already pure white hair. Sakura seemed to be annoyed, but she was internally cheering on the awesome prank.

Whereas Sasuke was once again staring at the birds outside the window and Naruto had burst out in laughter

"My first impression of you guys is..." There was a long pause,

"...I hate you all, meet me on the roof in 5 minutes." And with that done the jonin made a hand seal and 'poofed' out of existence, instantly reappearing on the roof of the academy.

Sasuke stood and walked towards the stairs with his hands in his pockets. Immediately noticing that her precious Sasuke-kun was gone, Sakura practically ran out of the classroom, leaving Naruto alone.

Taking advantage of the situation at hand the blond formed a hand seal and with a flash of blue light, he was standing on the roof in less than a nano-second.

With minutes to spare until his teammates arrived Naruto walked up to Kakashi, who was crouched on the railing, reading his Icha Icha Paradise book, and gave him a look saying 'get-your-lazy-butt-down-here-before-I-drag-you-down-there-and-you-know-I-have-the-power-to-do-so'.

The response he received was a slight glare before the silver-haired jonin finally returned his book back to his kunai pouch. By then Sasuke and Sakura had eventually appeared, only to see Kakashi standing lazily by the railing and Naruto sat on the nearby stairs, seemingly bursting with 'excitement' and a huge grin.

The Uchiha gave a quick 'Tch' before joining the blonde on the stairs. Trying to seem 'cool' to her Sasuke-kun, Sakura practically ran to the other side of Sasuke, ignoring Naruto's attempt at conversation with either of them.

"Now that we're all here, let's introduce ourselves, state your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams." They were clear, simple instructions, but a certain pink-haired genin didn't seem to understand,

"Why don't you go first sensei, to show us how." Was her answer,

"Uh, sure, my name is Kakashi Hatake, I don't feel like telling you my likes or dislikes. Hobbies? You're too young for that. And dreams? Never thought about it." 2 out of 3 genins deadpanned, thinking similar thoughts of ' _All we learnt was his name_ '

Whereas the last student was currently 'translating' his brother's words, ' _I like my younger brother, training and reading my Icha Icha books. I_ _dislike the civilian council, people who try to hurt Naruto and traitors who abandon their comrades. My hobbies are spending time with Naruto, visiting the KIA memorial and stalking a certain dolphin_ (1), _and my dream is to protect my precious people and make Obito, Rin and Minato-sensei proud of me._ '

And now it was the students' turn to introduce themselves,

"Right... Pinkie why don't you go first." Kakashi said with his famed eye smile, Sakura felt as if her sensei was purposely trying to antagonise her with the nickname, but she responded nonetheless,

"My name is Sakura Haruno, I like *looks towards Sasuke and giggles while blushing furiously*, I HATE Ino-pig and Naruto-baka-"

Kakashi tensed for a brief second before glancing towards his brother, wondering if he was alright, only to be greeted with a slightly faltering smile,

"-my hobbies are *more giggles* and my dream is *intense squealing and fangirling noises*" Naruto noticeably winced at the amount of noise one girl could make, his oversensitive ears making him clamp his hands over his head. Luckily he wasn't noticed by either of his teammates and Kakashi had continued the introductions.

"You next avenger." Sasuke gave a grunt at the name but began anyway,

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha, I don't particularly like anything, I hate a lot. What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality, I'm going to restore my clan and kill a certain someone." he said in his usual 'I'm better than everyone' tone.

"Okay... And last but not least, Naruto's turn," Sasuke and Sakura seemed annoyed that their new sensei had called the dobe by his name but not them.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I like Iruka-sensei, Hokage-Jiji, my brother and sitting on the Hokage monument on the Yondaime's head. I dislike the civilian council, people who don't know the difference between a sealing scroll and a kunai and a certain silver-haired academy instructor. My hobbies are training, spending time with my brother and reading. My dream is to surpass the previous Hokage, especially the Fourth, and to change the village for the better."

His teammates were astonished by the sudden outburst of wisdom and hate, Sakura's reaction clear as she was gaping like a fish, whereas Sasuke barely managed to hide his shock. A sudden clap from their sensei regained their attention as he began to speak,

"Good, now that that's sorted, make sure you meet me tomorrow at training ground 7 at 6:45 am sharp for the final genin test, also don't eat breakfast or you'll throw up." It seemed as if Sakura was about to ask a question, so Kakashi left in a poof of smoke as soon as he finished his sentence, wanting to avoid talking to the banshee.

Sasuke stood and slowly left, Sakura obviously running in order to catch up to him and repeatedly ask for a date until he started to run across the roofs of nearby buildings, leaving Sakura to walk home alone and Naruto standing on the roof, his eyes closed.

Once he was sure Sakura was out of sight and earshot he performed the necessary hand seals, a flash of blue replacing his lithe figure as he returned to his rundown apartment and went straight to bed.

* * *

(1)- If you can guess who this is referenced to I will include you in the Author Note of the next chapter.

Word count: 2323


	5. Ch 5- Waiting for Sensei

(A/N): Here's a list of everyone who answered correctly on the last chapter; AmorteliaRayne3, Dante3142, gemellina.93, AmbertheCat, Fritchman65, Studebaker1960, Bubble MaKeR, FireBear667, Elyxthaxzus, LLOYDROCKS. Also, there's a photo that you might need to check out, so if you're able to type Chaelielovesanime on Wattpad and you'll see the picture at the start of Chapter 5 over there, FYI It's something to do with a talent Naruto has...anyway, onto the story...

* * *

"Naruto!"-speech

' _Naruto!_ '-thought

" **Naruto!** "-bijuu talking

'Naruto!'-talking to bijuu

* * *

{Previously}

Sasuke stood and slowly left, Sakura obviously running in order to catch up to him and repeatedly ask for a date until he started to run across the roofs of nearby buildings, leaving Sakura to walk home alone and Naruto standing on the roof, his eyes closed.

Once he was sure Sakura was out of sight and earshot he performed the necessary hand seals, a flash of blue replacing his lithe figure as he returned to his rundown apartment and went straight to bed.

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Waiting for Sensei**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Near Training Ground 7 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 6:50 AM *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Naruto, donned in his obnoxiously bright jumpsuit, was on his way to Training Ground 7, in order to complete, what was hopefully, the final test until he became a Genin. He had purposely left late this morning, knowing his brother's habit of running late and he had remembered to seal his drawing pad and a few pencils, as well as some extra food for his teammates, who he knew, would have listened to their tardy sensei.

Contrary to belief, being blind didn't hinder his ability to draw. It was something that had always come naturally during times of stress, depression, and even as a fun hobby he could do in the masses of spare time he always seems to have.

As he approached the training ground, to his left was a small red bridge that stood over an even smaller stream and a large oak tree, that pink and dark blue 'blobs' were standing by, the distance making his teammates seem like some sick and twisted creature from his nightmares... okay, maybe that was slightly over exaggerated.

He neared his fellow Genin with a foxy grin and inconspicuously unsealed his drawing pad, pencils and of course the extra food. Sakura's banshee-like voice swiftly reached his sensitive ears, probably berating him for being late or having food.

Meanwhile, Sasuke just stood by the tree, watching with pity, not that he would admit it, he was an Uchiha after all, as Naruto flinched from the deafening shrill of the kunoichi.

Finally, she stopped when she realised that Naruto had food, more precisely, 2 apples, 2 bananas and 3 sandwiches, making her become conscious of just how hungry she was, she had even missed dinner the night before, trying to stay 'feminine' for Sasuke.

"H-Hey Naruto, can I, um, have some food please?" She asked both quiet and politely for once, and if Naruto hadn't been as well trained as he was he wouldn't have been able to hide his flabbergasted expression.

"Sure, that's why I brought it, just don't let Kakashi-sensei find out," Was his curt reply, but he wasn't done yet,

" _Sasuke-kun..._ " He taunted,

"Don't you want something to eat as well?" He continued,

"Hn" Was the avenger's answer,

"Hn, Hn"

"Hn"

"Hn," This would have continued between the two boys had Sasuke's stomach not declared its presence,

"Grrr"

"I'll take that as a yes," Naruto responded as he threw an apple towards Mr Duck-butt.

Naruto placed the other food items, save except sandwich for himself, and sat at the base of the tree, finally having some peace and quiet to start a new drawing that he had been planning to draw for a while now.

About and an hour later Sasuke and Sakura had begun to take an interest in the constant 'scribbling' noises that came from the right of them, specifically from Naruto.

Within the next half hour, Sasuke had finally built up the courage, once again not that he would admit that he was even slightly nervous, why? Uchiha pride. But even then he still waited another 10 minutes, trying to decide how to approach the 'dobe'.

A shadow loomed over Naruto, he lifted his face as a response, his eyes, surprisingly, closed but he was paying attention nonetheless,

"Oi dobe, what are you doing?" Sasuke sounded somewhat disgruntled, but he was being somehow polite at the same time.

"I'm drawing, duh, isn't it obvious," His sentence overflowing with sarcasm,

"Well, can I, uh, see it?"

"Uh, sure," Was Naruto's hesitant reply, he had never seen any of his own drawings and always denied the accusation, but the praise he received from Iruka-sensei and his Kaka-nii, said otherwise.

Sasuke grabbed the sketch pad from Naruto's hands as quickly as he could, trying to avoid all contact. Stealing his first glance at the image that he expected to be an absolute mess if the dead lasts drawing skills were as non-existent as everything else, but he was amazed by the amount of detail in the pencil drawing.

"So... do you like it?" Sasuke was speechless, even though it wasn't finished it still looked amazing,

"Uh, yeah, it seems like you have some talent after all."

"Oh, thanks, teme."

"Tch, dobe."

Taking another glance at the drawing, Sasuke realised that it was a sketch of the Nine-tails rampage 12 years ago. You could clearly see the Kyuubi destroying the forest.

Meanwhile, a blond man in a white cloak with red flames along the bottom and the kanji for Yondaime Hokage in the centre of it was standing to the left side of the page. A giant toad was beneath his feet and in his hands was a small bundle of cloth.

Without Sasuke noticing, Sakura had stood, and was now beside 'her Sasuke-kun',

"Wow Sasuke-kun, you're such an incredible artist!" She praised,

Naruto decided to intervene after staying quiet for so long.

"Actually Sakura-chan, it's mine, I drew it."

"Oh, well I was wondering why it looked so bad all of a sudden," She then proceeded to rip the book from Sasuke's hand and throw it away, towards the stream.

Due to his blindness, Naruto wouldn't normally be able to see the book, so instead, he used chakra in order to draw with less difficulty and more precision, and because of this his drawings always had a faint chakra signature, undetectable unless you were specifically searching for it.

Meaning that he could easily track its location whenever he deemed it necessary. So even with his lack of eyesight, Naruto knew that his artwork was thrown towards the river, but he wasn't worried as he had sensed his Kaka-nii's chakra over 45 minutes ago in the forest a few feet behind them.

Also, the reassurance that his Kaka-nii was there guaranteed that is drawing was safe because Kakashi was one of the few who admired his skill in art.

Nevertheless, he had to act surprised, scared and shocked so he could 'remain in character'. As loud and boisterous as he could Naruto jumped to his feet and whined,

"Sakura-chan~, why did you do that!?"

Just as the drawing pad was about to hit the water's surface, Kakashi appeared in a poof of smoke, the sketch pad securely in his hands. As he neared his students Kakashi lifted the book so it was eye-level and looked at his blond genin's artwork.

His visible eye slightly widened, only a highly trained ninja would have realised, meaning Naruto, albeit blind, noticed the shift in his brother's emotions.

Kakashi knew Naruto was a good artist but this was incredible, and it wasn't even finished! The picture brought back memories from the first time he held his brother. The day of his birth.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Flashback *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Kyuubi attack- 12 years ago *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

14-year-old Kakashi was currently running towards the battlefield, after the death of Obito and Rin, his sensei was all he had left. He knew that when the Kyuubi had suddenly disappeared his sensei was in trouble. He had felt a humongous surge of chakra and then without a trace, all signs of life from his sensei and his wife had all but vanished.

Within minutes the silver-haired nin arrived at the scene of battle. The Yondaime Hokage aka his sensei, Minato Namikaze, was on the floor, a hole through his chest. Turning to his right he saw Minato's wife, Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze, with an equally as large hole in her stomach.

A sudden groan alerted him to his left, his sensei's body shifted, blue eyes flittering open to look directly at Kakashi.

"Ka...Kashi-" Minato swiftly entered a coughing fit, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Kakashi sprinted to his sensei's side. Minato had been more of a father to him than his real, albeit dead, one had ever been.

"Minato-sensei!" Was all he could say before the aforementioned person began speaking again.

"Take care of my son...treat him like a hero. His name is N-Naruto..." And with his final words said, the light in Minato's eyes slowly dissipated. He would finally get to rejoin Kushina in the afterlife.

Tears started to leak from the corner of Kakashi's only visible eye. Wailing came to the jonin's (1) ears, closer to the treeline he spotted a small bundle of cloth. He rose to his feet and shunshined towards the cries. Upon arrival, the whining all but disappeared and when Kakashi closely inspected the wriggling bundle, he noticed a minuscule tuft of undeniably sunshine blond hair.

Recognising the hair to be the same colour as is perished sensei, it was then he realised that this was Minato and Kushina's son, Naruto. Delicate azure blue eyes opened, just as Minato's had seconds before.

Tears began to form in both his own and the baby's eyes, it was as if he knew his parents had just sacrificed themselves for his and the village's survival. Kakashi reached towards the now silently crying child, his hands shaking from the matching tears that trailed his cheeks.

He slowly lifted Naruto into his arms, an orange blanket wrapped around the child. Even though his father-figure had just died, Kakashi was thankful that Minato had saved Naruto. It was as if he had his own little brother, something he had seen in Obito.

Bringing the baby closer to his chest, he hugged the newborn for as long as possible before the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, arrived minutes later with his ANBU guards.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End Flashback *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present Kakashi stood still for a while, leaving Sasuke and Sakura enough time to realise that he had, finally, arrived. Glancing at Naruto he gave a small nod, telling him to, once again, 'stay in character' and act as obnoxious as he was earlier.

"Wow Kakashi-sensei, thank you for saving my drawing! And you're so fast! Will you teach me that jutsu too!?" Was Naruto's response to the discreet gesture.

"Hey Sensei, you're late by almost 2 hours!" Was Sakura's idea of a greeting as she screeched her complaints.

"Sorry sorry, I had to help an old woman carry her shopping home and then-" The jonin was cut off before he could finish his sentence by his cute little brother and the girl who should pay for all the damage she has caused to his eardrums. Anyway back on topic...

"LIAR!" The aforementioned genin yelled,

"Hn, can we just start already" It was more of a demand than a question, but so was everything else the 'oh-so-precious' Uchiha says.

"Of course, here Naruto, your sketchbook," he said while handing said item to his student,

"Thanks, Sensei, but I was wondering whether you could look after it, for now, I would probably lose it," He said in the most 'sincere' tone he could manage,

"Sure," the book suddenly disappeared with a mild poof, just like the shunshin, to the Sasuke and Sakura it just looks like Kakashi had teleported the book someplace else.

Where in all actuality he had placed it in a seal that was connected to one on Naruto's wrist, meaning that he could send something to the seals that Naruto uses but can't take anything without permission.

"So, first things first, who ate?"

Sasuke kept the same emotionless expression as always, even though Kakashi could see a shift in his emotions he knew best not to say something. Whereas Naruto and Sakura looked completely guilty, their eyes currently focused on their feet and the ground beneath them.

"Anyway, let's continue, the test is called... the bell test," he said while holding two bells in front of him.

"You each need to attack me and get a bell if you don't come at me with the intent to kill then you will lose."

Here comes Sakura's 'witty' comment (so much for being kunoichi of the year),

"But Sensei, there are only two bells,"

"Exactly, whoever doesn't get one by the time the alarm rings, they get sent back to the academy, 66.6% of genin fail at this point, so good luck," Was Kakashi's equally as 'witty' response, before he pulled out an alarm clock from seemingly nowhere and placed it on one of the nearby wood poles.

"So he does have an alarm clock..." Naruto whispered to himself in a joking manner, Kakashi chuckled slightly at his brother's twisted sense of humour, or lack thereof.

"So, get ready...begin!"

* * *

(1)- I wasn't sure what rank Kakashi actually was at the time, I researched and Jonin came as the most plausible answer.

(A/N): Anyway, thank you to everyone who has managed to put up with my tardiness but I've been a bit busy with school.

Word Count: 2152


	6. Ch 6- Naruto Uzumaki and the KIA Stone

(A/N): Thank you for being so patient, I've been busy with school, homework, coming up with ideas, proof reading, writing other fanfics and eventually writing this chapter... So here you go!

And one more thing, if I say that Naruto had 'seen' something happen, it doesn't mean he actually saw it since he's blind. It's just easier to write as if he had seen it rather than sensed it. Hopefully that makes sense, and also comment below if you understand the title reference.

* * *

"Naruto!"-speech

' _Naruto!_ '-thought and talking to inner-Sakura

" **Naruto!** "-bijuu talking and inner-Sakura talking

'Naruto!'-talking to bijuu

* * *

{Previously}

"But Sensei, there are only two bells,"

"Exactly, whoever doesn't get one by the time the alarm rings, they get sent back to the academy, 66.6% of genin fail at this point, so good luck," Was Kakashi's equally as 'witty' response, before he pulled out an alarm clock from seemingly nowhere and placed it on one of the nearby wood poles.

"So he does have an alarm clock..." Naruto whispered to himself in a joking manner, Kakashi chuckled slightly at his brother's twisted sense of humour, or lack thereof.

"So, get ready...begin!"

* * *

 **Chapter 6:**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Kakashi P.O.V *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As soon as the words left my mouth, Sasuke sprinted to the surrounding forest, hoping to find someplace to think over a strategy without his 'useless' teammates. And of course Sakura, being the same love sick puppy as ever followed him to the best of her (nonexistent) ability.

That brings us to the scene of me standing in the centre of a field, laidback as usual, with Naruto, who was currently stretching a few metres away. A wave of realization hit me and I started to sweat slightly, I know first-hand how powerful my younger brother is, and we hadn't had a chance to spar since I had been back from my prolonged mission.

I just hoped that Naruto wouldn't go all out, I'm able to still beat him but it usually takes a lot out of me. Also I feared for the training ground, if Naruto and I went toe to toe then it would be decimated to ash within seconds.

A sudden yell pulled me from my thoughts, Naruto was charging at me with chunin level speed and a kunai in both of his hands. As he approached me I used a kawarimi jutsu with a nearby log I found on the outskirts of the forest.

After I was in the clear, I turned to Naruto and saw that the log I had substituted with had been obliterated. My brother had very likely infused the kunai with wind style chakra, meaning that he had predicted my use of the substitution.

I heard the clash of metal on wood behind me. Naruto had thrown a shuriken at a tree on my right, and upon closer inspection I noticed the glint of ninja wire attached to several of the surrounding branches.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the bushes shift slightly. I instantly realised that I had been caught in one of Naruto's ingenious traps, so against my better judgement, I cautiously walked towards the bush.

As soon as my back was turned, a group of shadow clones attacked with chakra infused fists. He was clearly holding back, but I didn't mind since he was still meant to keep his ANBU abilities hidden.

The clones then retreated before swiftly attacking with kunai, shuriken and exploding tags, when all of a sudden, the clones disappeared in a giant cloud of smoke, which meant that either he had been knocked unconscious or he had dispelled them on purpose.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End of Kakashi P.O.V *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sasuke was running through the thick forest of the training ground, when he noticed Sakura lying in the centre of a large clearing. In the distance he could see Kakashi jumping away while reading a small orange book, and assumed that he had used a genjutsu on the (in his opinion, useless) pink-haired kunoichi.

Deciding to continue his search for Kakashi, Sasuke followed in the direction that he had seen his soon-to-be-sensei running towards. Meanwhile, Naruto had been sat cross-legged in a nearby tree the whole time. He had seen Sakura's defeat as well as his tardy brother's childish plan to separate the members of their makeshift team.

" **I agree Kit, your brother is childish**." The Kyuubi muttered with slight annoyance.

'Hey Kurama!' Naruto replied in his usual false cheery attitude,

'You've been so quiet lately that I would have thought you were dead if you weren't sealed inside me!'

In response came Kurama's irritated voice,

" **Seriously Kit, I just woke up and you're already making my ears bleed, stop pretending to be so happy.** "

'Whatever, you stupid old fox.' Naruto murmured back.

" **Hey Kit, you might want to pay attention, that Sakura girl is waking up**." Kurama said before breaking the connection,

After losing his connection to the Kyuubi, Naruto jumped down from his perch in the tree and kneeled next to Sakura. When she finally awoke she sat up while screaming,

"SASUKE!" As if being woken from a nightmare she looked around frantically before her gaze landed on Naruto.

"Naruto! Where's Sasuke!?"she asked, her voice laced with panic,

"Don't worry Sakura-chan! I think Sasuke-teme is trying to find Kakashi-sensei so we can attack!"

"Okay...wait, what?" She hesitantly replied.

"Oh yeah, I haven't told you yet. Sasuke-teme told me that we need to use teamwork to defeat Kakashi-sensei. So right now he's probably distracting sensei so we can sneak up on him and take the bells!" Naruto responded with fake enthusiasm.

Sakura continued to talk as normal, obviously missing the fake smile and laugh,

"Of course Sasuke-kun would figure it out, and when I help him to get a bell he'll give me the other one and then we'll go on a date..." She said while seemingly beginning to daydream about 'her Sasuke-kun'.

"Hey Sakura-chan! We should go find Sasuke-teme!" Naruto exclaimed in order to gain her attention. It seemed to work as she replied with,

"Don't call Sasuke-kun that!" And then proceeded to try and hit Naruto on the head. The keyword was 'try', as Naruto, who had been in the process of locating Sasuke, had unconsciously dodged her attack. During the 2 years he spent recruited as ANBU he trained his reflexes and had to continuously suppress his instincts.

Sakura's shocked expression was just one more reason for Naruto to realise what had just happened,

"Um... hey Sakura-chan..." He said with a nervous laugh,

"I've been training my reflexes recently, guess it worked..."

Before Sakura had chance to respond, a large fireball erupted deeper in the forest towards their left. She instantly assumed that it was Sasuke and began to run in that direction. After releasing an exasperated sigh he followed the pink-haired kunoichi.

Upon reaching his destination, he found Sasuke glaring at Kakashi from across the training grounds, while Sakura was latched onto the Uchiha's arm with hearts in her eyes. Kakashi glanced in Naruto's general direction as he secretly formed ANBU sign language to give a brief summary of the current situation.

He then responded in sign language saying, 'So Sasuke almost took a bell while you used one third of your power. However, when I versed you I used barely one twentieth of my power and I still almost beat you with nothing but a few weapons and some shadow clones.'

He also stuck out his tongue to mock him. Kakashi rolled his single visible eye before continuing his 'battle' with Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto just sat there and watched as Sasuke tried to pry Sakura off of him. After multiple attempts he was finally freed but as soon as he was about to attack, the alarm rang, signalling the end of the test.

Using his only visible eye, Kakashi gave a small eye-smile and said,

"Well, seems like you're not going back to the academy..."

Sakura interrupted saying,

"Does that mean we pass Kakashi-sensei?" He continued to smile before replying,

"Of course not, you failed the test and should give up on becoming ninja."

"WHAT!" Was Sakura's shocked response but Kakashi decided to ignore her in favour of calling to his brother,

"Come on down Naruto, I know you're there." Naruto then jumped down and walked until he stood beside his sensei.

"Actually Kakashi-sensei, we passed..." he said before holding up a pair of silver bells. He then walked forward and handed one to each of his teammates.

Although it was hard to notice, Naruto knew that Kakashi was just as shocked since a pair of matching silver bells still hung from his belt. Naruto hid his hands behind his back and then secretly formed the hand sign for 'release' and suddenly, the bells disappeared.

Naruto then began to speak,

"Sakura created the genjutsu, Sasuke distracted you and I grabbed the bells when you weren't looking." He rubbed the back of his neck with a foxy grin while Sakura was frozen in place and Sasuke tried but failed to hide his own shocked expression,

"Sasuke, Sakura, is this true?" Sakura nodded and Sasuke just rolled his eyes before eventually nodding slightly. Kakashi smirked under his mask and then asked,

"I would say you all passed but Naruto doesn't have a bell, are you willing to leave this team so Sasuke and Sakura can pass?" All he said in response was,

"Of course, anything for my comrades." And then he returned the smirk with one of his own.

"Well then, all I have to say is...you pass." Kakashi then started to walk away towards the KIA memorial stone. The three newly-passed genin followed him until they reached a jagged midnight black stone with hundreds of names engraved on every side.

Sasuke and Sakura stood on either side of Kakashi while Naruto sat down next to it with his eyes closed and his hands covering two names. Kakashi continued his monologue.

"This is the KIA monument, it's engraved with the names of konoha-nin who died to protect the village. Some of my closest friends are on there." Sasuke and Sakura stayed silent while Naruto lifted his head to 'look' at the sky before nodding slightly and moving his hand to cover only one of the names.

Suddenly Kakashi began speaking again,

"Also, on the night Naruto was born, October 10th, his parents died and were later on added to the stone. However, before dying during the Kyuubi attack 12 years ago, Naruto's parents wanted him to take his mother's name, meaning that we don't know who his father is, we only know that he is on the stone somewhere..."

Naruto lowered his head as Sasuke turned to look at him with a slightly softened yet calculating gaze. On the other hand, Sakura was having an argument with inner-Sakura.

' _Poor Naruto, having no parents!_ ' Sakura thought in her head,

" **He's lucky, he has no parents to tell him what to do! I guess that explains his bad manners!** "

' _You're right, and I bet Sasuke-kun is thinking the same thing._ ' After talking with inner-Sakura, she decided to voice her thoughts but had waited until Kakashi finished his little speech and told them where and when to meet tomorrow.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, I bet the reason why Naruto has such bad manners is because he's never had parents..." By the time she finished Naruto had removed his hand from the stone and was tightly curled into a ball, his legs pulled into his chest and his head facing the floor.

The now fuming Kakashi who had decided to hide and watch the team's interaction with each other. If it weren't for the fact that he was supposed to be just observing then he would have instantly jumped to save his little brother from Sakura's torment, but he couldn't.

Unknown to most, except Kakashi (and Kurama of course), Naruto was extremely emotional when it came to his parents. Sometimes he would breakdown and be unable to do anything, even feed himself. Those were the days when he would have to rely on Kakashi or Kyuubi to take care of him, and luckily, he hadn't had a breakdown for almost four months.

But both Kakashi and Kurama were hoping that he'd never have to experience it ever again. Naruto had now began to shake slightly and all Sasuke could do was stare in surprise before Sakura finally stopped talking and noticed Naruto's condition.

"Hey, Naruto, what's wrong?" She asked mildly concerned. He replied in a shaky voice,

"I-it's nothing, I just remembered that I don't have any ramen left..." All that she said in response was,

"You're such an idiot! I was actually worried about you! You're also a baby, crying over something so ridiculous like ramen!" Sasuke just stood there, watching his new teammates. To him, it was obvious that Naruto wasn't upset because he he had no ramen, something was wrong and he didn't even know why he cared so much...

Naruto stood and began to walk towards the village centre. His plan was to sit alone for a while on the Hokage monument, specifically on the head of the Fourth Hokage, his father. As soon as Naruto was out of sight of his teammates, Kakashi shunshined in front of him before falling to the floor, a sobbing Naruto in his arms.

Kakashi sat up and instantly wrapped his arms around the blond boy in his lap. Naruto just cried harder, all of the pent up emotions being released. The silver-haired nin sat there while his brother continued to sob. They stayed in that position for nearly two hours before Naruto finally fell asleep.

His eyes were red and puffy, and his cheeks were stained with tear tracks. Kakashi carried Naruto home to his small apartment and after leaving a note saying that he was the one who had brought him home, Kakashi shunshined to his own apartment and practically collapsed on his bed.

After Naruto had walked away, sakura begged Sasuke to go on a date with her. In response he rolled his eyes and walked to a different training ground near his apartment.

As for Sakura, she just walked home to her parents with a moody expression on her face. She was in a foul mood and decided to lock herself in her room, she also missed dinner so she would have a slim figure to impress 'her Sasuke-kun'.

* * *

(A/N): Thanks to all of my readers who have managed to keep up with my very disorganised updating schedule. The end is slightly rushed so hopefully it doesn't mess up the chapter. Anyway, comment what you think and prepare for the next chapter as the mission to Wave country begins.

Word count : 2379


	7. Ch7- It Begins

(A/N): Sorry for such the long wait, I made this chapter longer for you. Also, I would like to thank everyone who has read and commented on both of my stories! I never believed that I would ever get this far so thank you so much!

* * *

"Naruto!"-speech

' _Naruto!_ '-thought

" **Naruto**!"-bijuu talking

'Naruto!'-talking to bijuu

* * *

{ **Previously** }

His eyes were red and puffy, and his cheeks were stained with tear tracks. Kakashi carried Naruto home to his small apartment and after leaving a note saying that he was the one who had brought him home, Kakashi shunshined to his own apartment and practically collapsed on his bed.

As for Sakura, she just walked home to her parents with a moody expression on her face. She was in a foul mood and decided to lock herself in her room, she also missed dinner so she would have a slim figure to impress 'her Sasuke-kun'.

* * *

 **Chapter 7: It Begins**

It had been almost two weeks since Naruto's breakdown, and the members of Team 7 seemed to pretend as if it had never happened. During the two weeks following the incident, Kakashi had made his team complete simple D-rank missions, and although they were tedious, they were a form of team bonding exercises.

Currently, his team were helping to babysit a pair of children known as the terror twins. Kakashi, however, was sat in a tree observing his students through a nearby window. He held a small orange book in his hands but was actually thinking about how the leaders of the other genin teams reacted when he told the Hokage that Team 7 had passed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Flashback *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The day after the teams had been tested, the Hokage requested the presence of the jounin leaders of teams 7, 8 and 10 along with several other chunin.

"Squad leaders, come forward." He requested, "Report."

Asuma Sarutobi stepped forward and spoke,

"Team 10 of Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka, passed," he stepped back as he finished talking. Kurenai Yuhi stepped forward before she also spoke,

"Team 8 of Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuuga and Shino Aburame, passed," the Hokage just nodded in response as Kurenai stood back. Last but not least, it was Kakashi Hatake's turn. He stepped forward with a familiar orange book in hand.

"Team 7 of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno... passed," he said with his signature single eye smile. There were shocked gasps from the other sensei and some surprised murmurs from the chunin in the background.

"Well Kakashi..." the Hokage said unfazed, "This is the first team you've passed, but considering 'he' is on your team, I was expecting them to pass." He said knowingly.

Kakashi closed his book and replied, "I also have the civilian council breathing down my neck, so that's another reason why."

Even though the chunin were confused by their conversation, the other two jonin Sensei understood. Due to the last (loyal) Uchiha being on his team, the council practically blackmailed Kakashi into passing him.

On the other hand, the pariah of the village, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki Naruto Uzumaki, was the only genin that the council didn't want to graduate. They had wanted him to be taken by Danzo and trained as an emotionless killing machine. However, when they had approached the Hokage with their ideas, they were immediately denied.

The Hokage nodded at Kakashi's plight. The civilian council, especially Mebuki Haruno, were willing to do whatever it took to achieve their ideals, and Sasuke was their current person of interest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End of flashback *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ahh!" Naruto yelled with laughter as he chased the terror twins in a game of tag. The twins squealed in excitement as they ran around their house. Sasuke was in the kitchen cooking lunch for the children and his teammates, and Sakura was upstairs tidying the twins' room.

This continued for another half an hour before the twins were tired and Sasuke had finished their lunch. After the twins were put to bed, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura began to eat their food in silence... but not for long.

Sakura had barely touched her plate and for the last three years since she entered the Academy, Sakura had tried to maintain the 'perfect figure' for 'her Sasuke-kun'.

Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto noticed Sakura's reluctance to eat. She probably thought that he had cooked it, so he decided to give her a little motivation.

"Hey Sasuke-teme, your cooking is really good!" In response, Sasuke began to cough and slightly choke on the rice ball he had been eating.

Naruto's comment on his cooking had shocked him, that was probably the first time someone had sincerely complimented him since the Uchiha massacre. To say he was surprised was an understatement.

Sasuke noticed that his thoughts had begun to drift towards that dreadful night. However, Naruto's childish question to Sakura woke him from his stupor,

"Hey Sakura-chan, you should try some, Sasuke-teme is surprisingly good at cooking!" Sakura then slowly began to eat the food from her plate as Naruto continued to eat his own while Sasuke stayed silent.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, the twins were asleep and an hour passed before the mother of the children returned. As Team 7 were leaving the building, they noticed a certain silver-haired jonin waiting for them.

Sasuke acted uninterested, Sakura was in a dazed state (probably fantasising about Sasuke) and Naruto was jumping around excitedly.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, can we go on a better mission now!" Kakashi eye smiled before saying,

"Well my cute little genin, let's go ask the Hokage if he has any missions to keep you entertained." Sasuke 'hned' in response, a lovesick Sakura following behind him while Naruto narrowed his his eyes at his brother's choice of words.

Either they were getting another boring D-ranked mission or they were finally going on a C-rank. Kakashi turned around slightly to wink at his suspicious brother. Naruto instantly caught on to what his annoying brother was trying to say.

Basically, he said, 'if you want a C-rank then you have to play the part.' Fine, if that's how he wants to play, then so be it. Once we had arrived at the mission department of the Hokage tower, we were greeted by the Hokage and Iruka-sensei sat behind a brown desk covered with piles of paper and scrolls.

"Team 7," the Hokage greeted, "Here for another D-rank?" the elder shinobi continued,

"We have a cat rescue mission, weeding a civilians gar-" Naruto swiftly denied,

"Hey, Jiji! I want a higher ranked mission!" he whined,

"Well..." the Hokage drawled, pretending to think about the answer. Meanwhile, Iruka had begun to fidget nervously. After learning Naruto's secret, Iruka was continuously anxious about the blonde-haired nin's missions, even simple D-ranks.

However, Iruka only knew two of his secrets and Naruto's abilities and status as ex-ANBU were still under lock and key. Iruka was about to voice his thoughts when surprisingly Sasuke beat him to it.

"For once, I agree Hokage-sama. We need to be challenged with a higher ranked mission." Sakura nodded along,

"Well Kakashi, it seems that your team wants a C-ranked mission, what do you think?" Iruka decided now was the time to speak,

"Hokage-sama, you can't actually be considering giving them a C-rank!" he said expressing his worry,

"Actually, Iruka-kun, it is Kakashi's choice whether his students are able to handle it..." Iruka turned his attention to the silver-haired jonin, he noticed that the jonin avoided his gaze and was trying to keep his focus on the Hokage.

A plan started to form in his mind. He knew the 'crush' that Kakashi had on him and he also knew that the higher ranked nin would follow him home every night to make sure he arrived home safe.

"Um, Hatake-san.." he paused as if to seem nervous,

"I was wondering if you could reconsider assigning this mission to Team 7..." Naruto seemed shocked at his previous sensei's tactics to stop them from leaving on a mission. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head as he responded to Iruka's comment.

"Please, call me Kakashi, and I was planning to accept this mission as I think it would be a good training exercise..." he said unsure of the response he would receive. In the background, Sasuke was listening to the adults' discussion while trying to avoid Sakura's death grip.

Naruto, however, was stood out of sight behind Kakashi, attempting to stifle his laughter. Due to Kakashi being his brother and Iruka being a close second, he knew all about the crushes they have on each other and both of their non-existent love lives...

Naruto's laughter was short lived as the Hokage cleared his throat,

"It seems that Team 7 is about to start their first C-rank. The only C-rank we have currently available is an escort and protection mission." Kakashi nodded before giving a spoken answer,

"Guess that's the mission we're taking."

"Splendid, send in Tazuna!" The Hokage said joyfully as a door to his right opened and in walked a grey-haired, bespectacled man with a large beard and dark eyes. He wore a grey sleeveless shirt, and bamboo hat with a white towel hung around his neck. In his hand was an open bottle of saké and from the way he walked, he was clearly drunk.

"What? They're all brats." He drank from the bottle, "Hey, is the short one with an idiotic face really a ninja?" Even though Naruto knew that he was the shortest, he glanced around the room to check who was the shortest,

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed, "Take back what you said, old man!" Naruto then continued to act angry and attack the client, but before he could reach Tazuna, Kakashi grabbed him by the back of his collar.

"Maa Naruto, you're not meant to attack our client..." Kakashi said in a playful tone. Eventually, Naruto stopped struggling, causing Kakashi to let go. The Hokage was about to continue with the mission details when Naruto spoke in a threatening tone,

"Also," he paused as he threw a kunai at the sake bottle, smashing it,"I hate drunks..." Kakashi was holding back his laughter at his brother's behaviour while the Hokage was chuckling. Before Naruto had joined ANBU and Kakashi was out on missions, drunk villagers would destroy his home and attack him.

In the background, Sasuke narrowed his eyes and Sakura was too busy fawning over Sasuke that she was confused as to why the Hokage was chuckling and their client, Tazuna, was gaping like a fish.

They then stood in an awkward silence until the Hokage spoke,

"Well, Tazuna here is a bridge builder from the Land of Waves and needs an escort home." Kakashi walked forward and turned to face his team,

"We'll be leaving later today so go home and pack enough equipment to last a week or two. Meet me at the main gate of the village at 2 pm and don't be late." He disappeared in a swirl of leaves,

"Hypocrite..." Naruto mumbled before walking out of the mission room followed by Sasuke and Sakura. As they walked through the streets of Konoha, Naruto was greeted with glares, while Sasuke was greeted with looks of admiration or jealousy.

Naruto turned a corner on his left, and as Sasuke quickened his pace to catch up with Naruto, he turned the corner only to find a dead-end and no trace of Naruto. Sakura stood at the entrance of the alley,

"Umm, Sasuke-kun? Will you go on a date with me?" She asked while batting her eyes,

"No." he responded while walking past her to his apartment. Her face looked down-trodden until she suddenly perked up,

"I'll just have to impress Sasuke during this mission to Wave!" she yelled with determination. Once she arrived home, she packed her mission bag and then spent the next few hours daydreaming about 'her (fictional) future with Sasuke'.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Sasuke P.O.V *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

' _Tch, dobe_.' I thought as I chased after Naruto into an alleyway. ' _He really is dense_...'

As I turned the corner, I was greeted with an empty dead-end,

' _What?!_ ' I yelled in my mind, shocked. I walked down the alley and found a folded piece of paper with the name 'Uchiha' written on the front. I noticed footsteps behind me and I swiftly hid the note in my pocket.

"Umm..." Sakura muttered, "Sasuke-kun?" I internally groaned,

"Will you go on a date with me?" She asked as I glanced in her direction only to see her batting her eyes, trying to 'appeal' to me. I stood up and as I walked past her, I said in a monotone voice,

"No." Before walking towards to my apartment. I pumped chakra to my legs, jumped onto the nearest rooftop and continued to run across the buildings. Once I arrived at my apartment, I entered my bedroom and noticed that a photo frame on my bedside cabinet beside the Team 7 photo had been placed face down.

I moved the picture so it stood. Inside the frame was a photo from before the Massacre. I remember it like it was yesterday, it had been a few years before I entered the academy. I was out training with Itachi when I sprained my ankle and being the older and apparently more responsible brother, he had offered to carry me home on his back.

Once we had arrived back at the compound, our mother couldn't help but snap a photo of her 'cute little boys'. My thoughts once again drifted to the night of the massacre and I sighed as I began to pack my bag. Checked the clock on my opposite my bed, it read quarter to two. ' _Did I really spend so long looking at the photo. I'd better get going then._ '

As I walked towards the village gate, only one thought was on my mind. ' _When I find him, will Itachi tell me the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre?'_ By then I all but forgot about the note folded in my pocket.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End of Sasuke P.O.V *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Sasuke had shown up, he was greeted by a mostly sober old man, their client he reminded himself, and a day-dreaming Sakura. Deciding to avoid the banshee of a fangirl, he walked over to the bridge-builder and stood next to him. He closed his eyes and tried to rid his mind of the depressing thoughts of his family.

Barely five minutes later the sound of chatting and footsteps came from the right. Kakashi was animatedly talking to a silent Naruto, hands in his pockets and a bag on his back. Naruto, however, was a different story.

He was wearing a light grey zip-up hoodie with navy stripes from the shoulder to the end of his sleeves. Kakashi had had the jacket custom made as a replica of Minato's when he was younger as a gift for passing his test, however, despite the few minor changes Kakashi had made on Naruto's behalf, it was practically identical to the original.

Under that, he wore a chainmail vest with black ANBU style pants and matching black ninja sandals. His hitai-ate was on a black cloth and tied around his neck like always. Aside from the change in clothes, Naruto also had bandages wrapped around his left leg with two pouches made for holding scrolls attached. Once Kakashi and Naruto finally arrived at the gate, surprisingly on time, the mission had officially begun.

As they began to leave the village, Sasuke turned to Naruto, he was looking around in amusement and wonder,

"Hey, dobe..." he said to gain Naruto's attention,"What's with the sudden change in clothes?" He asked, trying to sound uninterested,

"It was a gift from... the Hokage for passing Kaka-sensei's test." Naruto smoothly lied in reply before asking,

"Why do you want to you?" He said sincerely, Sasuke tried to act as if he didn't care, but deep down, he knew he did,

"Tch, I was just wondering since you never wear anything that isn't obnoxiously bright." Naruto puffed his cheeks out like a young child before responding,

"Well I'm a real ninja now so I have to act like one and that includes my clothes." Sasuke was left baffled at Naruto's sudden change in behaviour so he decided to move to the front of the formation.

Each person of Team 7 was stood either in front of or behind Tazuna. Sasuke was currently on the front left, Sakura the front right, Naruto in the back left behind Sasuke and Kakashi in the back behind Sakura. The client was trudging in the middle of the square formation. Even though he was mostly sober, Tazuna was still a civilian and didn't have the stamina to keep up with trained ninja, causing the group to walk at a slow, steady pace. They walked in silence for a while before Sakura spoke up,

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, she was considering whether to ask the question on her mind about the ninja in the Land of Waves but Sasuke may think she's weak and stupid so she decided against asking,

"Umm, nevermind sensei." The awkward silence increased tenfold and the only sound heard was the footsteps of the group as they walked down a dusty path surrounded by trees. As the group walked through the forest, Naruto noticed a small puddle by the side of the path.

' _Two chakra signatures...'_ he thought, ' _Can't be a coincidence that they're hiding in water, must be Kiri missing nin.'_ Naruto then noticed that Kakashi had his book out and turned a page for the first time in an hour. It was a signal that he had noticed the missing-nin and was prepared to fight.

However, just as Naruto was about to jump into the puddle; it finally began.


	8. Ch 8- A Brief Battle

(A/N): Hey guys, just a quick warning for this chapter, there is small amounts of semi-graphic self-harm. Nothing too massive though. You've been warned. Also another author's note down the bottom that I would really like for you all to read :)

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"Naruto!"-speech

' _Naruto!_ '-thought

" **Naruto!** "-bijuu talking

'Naruto!'-talking to bijuu

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{ **Previously** }

'Two chakra signatures…' he thought, 'Can't be a coincidence that they're hiding in water, must be a Kiri missing nin.' Naruto then noticed that Kakashi had his book out and turned a page for the first time in an hour. It was a signal that he had noticed the missing nin and was prepared to fight.

However just as Naruto was about to jump into the puddle; it finally began.

* * *

Five people sat in a clearing around a fire, the sun was setting in the distance and stars began to appear in the darkening sky. The light from the fire revealed the group to be a silent Team 7 and a guilty Tazuna.

Naruto sat on Kakashi's left, rubbing the hidden scars on his wrist and along his arm through his sleeves, it was a habit that he had developed at stressful times during his ninja career. One scar that he would usually trace over with his fingers was one that spelt out MONSTER across his forearm. Kakashi noticed his brother's habit and discreetly reached out to hold his hand, sending a small smile from under his mask and receiving one in return.

While on his right, oblivious to the show of brotherly affection, Sasuke was trapped between Kakashi and a silent Sakura. Their client, Tazuna, sat opposite them on the other side of the fire, his head bowed with his bamboo hat hiding his face.

"Well Tazuna, this was supposed to be a C-ranked mission, but now it would probably be a B-rank, maybe even an A-rank. In theory, we should return to the village and- Naruto, stop it." Kakashi said sternly, surprising Sasuke and Sakura, and causing them to turn to look at Naruto, wondering why their sensei had suddenly stopped mid-sentence to reprimand him.

However, Sakura was mostly occupied with Sasuke, and Sasuke couldn't see Naruto from his position on Kakashi's right. Kakashi had never used such a strict tone before, and although he knew he shouldn't (he was an Uchiha after all) Sasuke was worried.

Even though Sasuke and Sakura couldn't see what happened, Tazuna saw clearly. Naruto had dug his now razor sharp nails into his arm, causing droplets of blood to fall to the ground.

Currently, the normally energetic teen was now gripping Kakashi's hand as if it was his lifeline. His lithe form was shivering and his head stayed bowed, hiding his features from the others. He was having another attack, however, compared to last time, this was a more severe reaction.

A sharp pain in Kakashi's hand made him realise that if he didn't get Naruto to calm down, the situation would only escalate and he'd have to explain what had happened.

Deciding that the best course of action would be to comfort Naruto away from the others, the silver-haired nin cast a simple genjutsu over their camp along with himself and his brother, but to the others, it seemed as if Naruto had been pulling a prank and nothing serious had actually happened.

Meanwhile, Kakashi shunshined a few metres away in the branches of a tree and out of the sight of the others, a quivering Naruto in his arms,

"It's okay, it's okay." He whispered as he stroked Naruto's blond hair,

"They can't get to you while I'm around," he insisted,"They'll never touch you again." That seemed to calm the younger brother slightly, even if he knew that Kakashi would not always be by his side

"I-I know," he choked out between sobs as he began to calm down. They sat there for a few more minutes until Naruto managed to get himself fully under control,

"Are you ready to join the others?" Kakashi asked calmly, "Or do you still need a minute?"

"A bit longer please…" Naruto replied softly as he pulled himself further into the hug, and in response, his older brother continued to rub his back. After a moment, Naruto released a sigh and stood before walking towards the group with Kakashi on his heels.

Once they arrived at the campfire, Kakashi swiftly replaced the genjutsu with themselves and continued the discussion that was in progress.

"So before Naruto's interruption, I believe we were deciding whether we should continue the mission or not…" Kakashi left the statement hanging in the air as if waiting for an answer,

"I can definitely finish this mission whether you agree or not," Sasuke said, breaking the silence.

"Now now Sasuke, no need to rush to conclusions. Who said we weren't going to finish the mission?" Kakashi replied lightheartedly almost teasing Sasuke. He grunted in response, he'd had enough of Kakashi's nonchalant behaviour.

"So... are we going to help Tazuna?" Sakura asked politely, if Sasuke wanted to continue the mission, then so did she. Kakashi chuckled nervously,

"I suppose so." He said in an amused tone before suddenly clapping his hands,

"Well then, if we're going to keep going, we'll need our strength so it's best you get a good night's sleep." Taking the hint, Tazuna stood and began to unfurl his sleeping bag. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura followed his example and placed their sleeping bags on the floor while Kakashi sat on a branch so he could keep watch.

As Tazuna, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura made their makeshift beds for the night, Kakashi thought back to the fight they had less than an hour ago against the Demon Brothers.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Flashback *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Kakashi P.O.V *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As Naruto jumped into the 'puddle' that he had warned me about, my two other cute genin gave him a strange look whilst Tazuna just shook his head at Naruto's childish antics. However, time seemed to stand still as the 'puddle' turned into the infamous Demon Brothers, causing my students' expressions to become one of panic.

As the Demon Brothers launched their attacks, I ran into the line of fire and faked my death with a substitution jutsu. As I hid behind the nearby trees, I heard Sakura's hysterical scream as she witnessed my death and from Naruto, Sasuke and Tazuna I received silence.

I watched as Sakura ran to guard Tazuna, and Naruto ran to guard her in turn. As Sasuke began to attack, one of the Demon Brothers suddenly disappeared before reappearing in front of Naruto.

"Naruto, watch out!" Sakura yelled as the Kiri-nin slashed at Naruto with his shuriken-styled chain, "killing" Naruto. He had, however, secretly used a substitution jutsu and replaced himself with a log next to me. He greeted me with a smirk before scoffing,

"I can't believe she thinks we're dead." He joked, continuing to watch as the battle unfolded.

"She is only a genin," I responded, trying to excuse Sakura's behaviour,

"And? When you were a genin you saw countless deaths and was half her age."

"Hypocrite…" I mumbled loud enough to ensure that Naruto could still hear me.

"Anyway," he drawled, as one of the Demon Brothers approached Sakura as the other attacked Sasuke, "Shouldn't we intervene now?"

"We could...but where's the fun in that?" I replied knowing that no harm could befall my students as I could easily jump in at any time. I also noticed the concern in Naruto's voice and my eyes flitted from him to Sasuke, the poor boy was oblivious to his feelings.

Eventually, I gave him the go ahead and entered battle.

As I jumped into the fight and battled the Demon Brothers to the point where I could tie them up, Naruto came stumbling out of the forest, pretending as if his substitution jutsu hadn't worked properly. While I secured the brothers' restraints, the others turned to face Naruto. Almost instantly, Sakura began to scream and berate Naruto, how she regretted being worried about him and that he was an idiot for messing up such a simple jutsu. I swiftly moved into action and held Sakura back before stating that I would talk to Naruto later in as a way to keep up appearances.

After that, I pulled out a special sealing scroll that Naruto had made per my request after seeing him use one the week before. I proceeded to seal the unconscious bodies of the Demon Brothers into the scroll and summoned Pakkun to deliver it to the Hokage. We decided to make camp nearby and I began to ask questions to myself.

What has Tazuna dragged us into now?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End Of Flashback *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End Of Kakashi P.O.V *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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(A/N): Hey guys! Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with my incredibly slow updates, I've just been really stressed lately oath gcses in school, a breakup and trying to come to terms with my gender identity, so thank you to those who have stuck around and supported me even after so long!

Also thanks for reading! Don't forget to comment and fave and follow!

Bye!


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